IT Service Management Process Improvement (2014)
Background
In the first quarter of 2014, EMP set out to improve and document selected Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes and procedures. As a result of rapid growth the company needed to create transparency and clarity with respect to roles and responsibilities as well as process steps and activities.
Approach
Digiterra Consulting recommended its IT Service Management process improvement approach. This required an initial assessment of the core Change Management process, after which a prioritised list of action items would be addressed to close any gaps.
Initial Assessment
IT Change Management is the core controlling process for any organisation that needs to ensure changes are recorded, properly assessed and planned as well as thoroughly tested before risking business critical operations. The assessment compared existing EMP capability and maturity aspects against international IT Infrastructure management best practice guidelines (ITIL V3) and produced results for all governance, people, process, technology and quality assurance aspects of Change Management at EMP.
Assessment Results
EMP achieved an overall Maturity and Capability rating of 1.9 which meant the process lacked clarity, was informal, depended on individual performance and that there were limited level effectiveness and satisfaction with its performance.
Action Items
The ITSM Assessment highlighted various areas for improvement including, amongst others:
- Management commitment
- Process ownership
- Roles and responsibilities
- Policy and scope definition
- Process documentation
- Technology fit
- Training
- Meaningful reports
- Process metrics
- Ongoing Improvement strategy
An action plan to address these items was drawn up and an EMP improvement team assigned to address these, together with an ITSM Consultant from Digiterra.
Improvement Project
The idea was to spend up to 8 hours per week over a 6 month period and then to taper this down to 4 hours per week, to further refine the process and to monitor activities e.g. CAB, while in use.
Increased IT process efficiency at Sun International (2015)
Sun International IT Service Management Assessment
Sun International required an independent assessment and benchmark of its IT Service Management maturity and capability with a view to improving process efficiency and service delivery.
The assessment referenced best practices, frameworks and standards including ITIL, COBIT, King III, POPI and ISO 27000:2014.
The following key objectives were delivered
- Execution of an assessment to gather and record information
- Provision of a detailed report (with a high level overview) stating any inefficiencies and gaps in the findings, recommendations on closing the gaps as well as a comparative view of the previous results.
- Provision of a ‘deep dive’ approach on selected processes with the focus placed on the collection and review of specific artefacts and a report indicating their veracity, suitability, compliance and quality.
- Provision of a working action plan to assist with the implementation of the recommendations.
Digiterra delivered a drill down dashboard (assessment results) with actionable deliverables to work towards their process improvement and service delivery targets and objectives.
Improved Service Proficiency and Delivery for Liberty (2015)
Liberty – SMPI Service Management Proficiency Index
Liberty had a requirement to assess the maturity and capability of their Group Technology Service (GTS) Service Management processes and operations, with a view to improving GTS service proficiency and delivery.
The project aimed to understand and report on Liberty GTS Service Management proficiency to identify any required changes and ultimately to improve GTS service delivery.
The project consisted of a series of workshops that comprises one-on-one or group sessions (conducted by an ITSM consultant) with various key stakeholders, to gather information and evidence of existing GTS service management proficiency.
The data and evidence was collated, analysed and a proficiency report was produced that highlighted gaps and provided recommendations for improvement.
An action plan (in conjunction with the key Liberty stakeholders) was developed to close any gaps.
The assessment was completed within two months and the gap analysis report and roadmap was delivered three weeks thereafter.
The report and action plan allowed Liberty to focus on specific activities to improve service proficiency and delivery.
ICT Governance, Compliance and Consistent Quality Service Delivery for Advtech (2015)
IT Service Management Improvement
AdvTech
AdvTech IT had a requirement to optimise their IT Service Management processes and operations, with a view to improving IT service proficiency and delivery to ultimately ensure consistent quality and to meet ICT and Business Goals.
The project focussed on improvements of specific IT Service Management processes (based on current challenges). The project consisted of workshops with various key stakeholders to understand existing proficiency, identify gaps and plan for improvements.
Our IT Service Management consultants delivered a strategy, overall process performance dashboard and detailed process flows enabled AdvTech to streamline operations and manage process outcomes and performance.